Life's Little Lesson
by LadyJazzy90
Summary: Two felines are out for a joyride for the weekend. However, when things go downhill, they get more than what they bargin for! Also co-starring Rita and Runt! Rated T for language and adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

_Note: I do not own Rita and Runt. Instead, they both belong to the Warner Brothers. However, I do own Alex and Kitty._

_Second Note: I don't own the song "Hey You". Instead, the song belongs to No Doubt._

**Chapter 1**

"Alex, do you think that we will make it to the party just I time?"

"I think so, if this piece of crap car doesn't die on us first!"

The car was moving at 35 miles per hour on the highway. It was going so slow that Alex had to move to the slow lane.

Alex and Kitty were in what Alex called the crappiest car in the world. In reality, it was just a '94 white Toyota.

"I can't believe you took your Dad's car without permission!"

"Relax, Kit. He has to work late again tonight. Besides, by the time he shows up, the car is going to be there as if nothing happened.

Kitty just sighed in looked out the window on her side.

After looking at the scenery for a couple of minutes, Kitty couldn't help but notice that Alex was drooping her head a little.

"Uh Alex," Kitty said calmly as she reach her paw towards the steering wheel. "Do you want me to drive?"

Hearing this, Alex recovered herself and politely pushed Kitty's paw away. "No, I'm alright."

"You sure?" The curvy, red hair feline asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just need to listen to some music, but none of that crap that's on the radio and none of the slow stuff either. Those slow songs and ballads will make me worse!"

"How?"

"By making me fall asleep faster!" By now, Alex was more alert and paying attention to the road.

Since she was not in the mood to argue with Alex, Kitty pulled out Alex's CD case from the glove department.

"Which CD do you want?"

"Anything but that R&B crap! I'm not in the mood to listen to some lonely, kitty cat singing about how she hate's folks, complaining about her own problems, how she found someone special, and that I hate you, but I love you bullsh-"

"Alex! Tone down on the language! And I'm sure R&B is not that bad."

"What? It's true. Most of that stuff is boring and repetitive. And with the language, I can say whatever the hell I want hypocrite."

Kitty already forgotten that Alex had heard her cursing a couple of times too.

After she found a CD that she thought Alex would stay awake to, Kitty placed I in the CD player.

Kitty was getting ready to close the CD case when a particular CD caught her eye. The CD had a dark blue background with a cat's silhouette head. It also had some black musical notes. Kitty also noticed the singer's name in black, bold and cursive: Rita.

Being filled up with curiosity, Kitty Asked, "Alex, who's Rita?"

"Some singer that Mom and Sara really like." Alex shrugged with indifference.

"Have you ever listened to it?"

"Bit's of pieces." The slender, petite black-and-white cat said honestly.

"Then why and the heck did you buy the-"

"I didn't. The CD was actually given to me as a high school graduation gift."

"Oh I see."

A few minutes later, Alex and Kitty were singing out loud to one of their favorite songs:

"_Hey you with the eyes full of hope  
>You think you can rope your desire<br>Hey you, you native thing  
>Your patience is in time will tire…"<em>

…

After playing sing-a-long for a while, the two cats rode in silence. The music was definitely helping Alex to stay awake.

Kitty was the first to say something.

"Can I borrow that Rita CD?"

"Sure, if you don't-"

She was soon interrupted by what sounded like a boom from underneath the car.

"Damn!" Alex said with a hint of anger in her voice. "The car is dyin' on me! Don't die! Don't die! S***!"

_It was only a matter of time_. Kitty thought to herself.

Before Alex could curse some more, Kitty pointed out to the windshield in front of them and said:

"Look!"

"Huh?"

"I mean look at that house that's near the exit. Maybe we can stop there and get some help!"

"Kitty, I don't think-"

"We're in the middle of nowhere, Alexandra." Kitty said seriously. She always said Alex's real name when she is serious, much to the annoyance of Alex. "We don't have a choice. The next gas stop is about 13 miles. By how this car is going, we won't be able to make it."

Before Alex could protest, another BOOM went off.

Now, the car was going at a much slower rate, like around 20 miles per hour.

Kitty gave Alex _I-warned-you_ look. Alex just sighed and took the exit.

Several minutes later, the cats found themselves near the house. From the outside, it looked like an older house, but there was evidence that it was well taken care of.

When Alex parked in the driveway near the house, Kitty took the CD out of the CD player. Then the car made a huge and final BOOM!

At this point, both Kitty and Alex knew that they're were in a difficult situation.

"I guess I have to call Dad about this stupid car." Alex said with annoyance after a long pause. "I'm just not looking forward to getting yelled at for ruining his "beloved" car!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

While Alex was calling her dad from her cell phone, Kitty decided to get out of the car to look at her surroundings.

The felines were now in close-up view of the house. There were so many details of the house. It was a two story. It was also shaped like a Victorian house. It even had a front porch with two chairs.

_I guess front porches are never out of style_. Kitty thought to herself as she was looking at the exteriors of the house. She was so preoccupied studying the house that hearing the car door slam made her jump in a nearly exaggerated way.

Alex couldn't help but laugh when she saw what she did to Kitty.

"Yep, you are still the little scared cat that everybody loves." She teased as she walking toward Kitty.

"Very funny. So, I'm guessing that your Dad didn't take the news well."

"Nope!"

"Besides that, what else did he say?"

"That he won't be able to pick us up until he gets off of work." Alex paused so she can straighten her yellow beret hat. "Oh, and your dad is coming with him too."

"Great." Kitty said with some hint of annoyance in her voice.

…

"Hello! Is anyone in there?" Alex said loudly as she was buzzing the door bell several times. What seemed like hours to her, Alex could sense that someone was heading towards the door. That was one thing that Alex enjoyed being a cat. Having the sixth sense.

Before Alex could knocked on the door again for the hundredth time (to her) a female's voice from the house called out:

"I'm comin! It better not be another animal who wants to sell their crap!"

"She sounds somewhat like you Alex." Kitty thought out loud.

Before Alex had a chance to say something to Kitty, the door opened. When they saw who open the door, Alex and Kitty were honestly surprised that it wasn't the stereotypical old and frail cat.

Instead, they found a petite (about the same height as Alex), pretty, even beautiful, gray cat that had the most sparkling green eyes. She looked nearly too elegant and sophisificated to wear just a plain blue tank top and black sweatpants. She was also wearing a blue army-pattern scarf on her head that matched well with her top. Alex and Kitty could both tell (and even sensed) that she had a hard life by looking at her face. Even though she had, and still has, the tough girl persona, there was also a hint of happiness and gentleness in her eyes. The gray cat also had a youthful vibe, even though she was nearly old enough to be Alex's and Kitty's mother.

"May I help you?" The cat asked politely.

"Uh…" Alex hesitated at first, but soon found her confidence. "My car just broke down, and me and my friend were just wondering if we can make to calls to our folks, since my cell phone is dead."

Kitty was caught off guard by Alex's lie. "Alex! You already made the-" she began, but Alex cut her off.

"Don't listen to her. She has a tendency to talk nonsense when she is nervous." She could sense that Kitty was somewhat glaring at her.

The gray cat looked at Alex suspiciously. "I'm not so sure if I can trust a bunch of teen cats-"

"We're young adults, ma'am." Alex said politely. "Plus, it will only take a second."

After thinking for a couple of minutes, the gray cat sighed.

"Okay, you both can go in to the house to make the calls, but on a couple of conditions."

"Okay. What are they?" Alex asked calmly.

"First, you must show me evidence that your car is dead. If your car is dead, then you can come in. But, when you both get in to the house, don't touch anything. Even the food. If one of ya does," She was looking straight at Alex. "You will regret it that it happened! Is that a deal, ladies?"

"Deal!" Alex and Kitty said in unison as they led the gray cat to Alex's former functioning car.

…

"Wow!" Kitty exclaimed as she, Alex, and the gray cat walked into the living room. "This is the biggest living room I have ever been to. But it's still nice."

"Thanks."

"Uh, can we sit?" Alex asked.

"Sure."

Alex and Kitty seated themselves on a black lounge chair while the gray feline went into the kitchen.

"Do you felines want something to drink?"

"Water, please." Kitty said. Alex just shook her head.

When the cat came back from the kitchen and gave Kitty a glass of water, Alex could not help herself to stare at this cat. The cat looked very familiar, as if she seen her on TV or something. Alex was so preoccupied that she didn't realize that the cat was speaking to her directly.

"Hey, Frenchie!"

"Huh?"

"Why are you starting at me like that?"

"Sorry, it's just that you look so very familiar."

The cat immediately frowned upon hearing that statement.

"I was afraid that this would happen."

"What?" Alex asked in confusion.

"That some crazed fans would try to want me to give them an autograph!"

"Don't get us wrong, lady." Alex protested while Kitty looked on. "We are no fans of yours. Heck, I don't even know what you do for a living."

"But, I thought I saw someone who resembles you on TV one time." Kitty added.

The gray cat could not help but laugh in relief.

"You don't know who I am?"

"No."

"Why, I'm Rita."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Rita could not help but laugh again when she saw how the two younger cats reacted. They were in complete shock. They could never imagine that a former TV star would live in a nearly secluded house off the highway.

After the shock died down, Alex asked, "Did you used to be on that show where you had a dumb dog as a friend?"

"Yes." Rita said with a slight New York accent.

"What happened to that show?" Alex wondered. "Me and my sister loved that show, even though we were kittens at the time."

"I think the show got cancelled." Kitty said as a matter-of-factly.

"Yes, it was cancelled." Rita admitted as she was sitting down between Alex and Kitty.

"Why?" Alex and Kitty asked in unison.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah"

"Well," Rita began. "The show's ratings were dropping, the producers and writers were running out of ideas, and we were having budget problems. When the budget problems got more serious, they couldn't figure out on how to give us, meaning the actors, our salaries from the last season. 'Cause of that, the producers decided to pull the plug on the show."

"Did you and your co-workers know that the show would be cancelled?" Kitty asked innocently.

"Not at first," Rita said with some bitterness. "The producers didn't tell any of us. We didn't found out until the week before our last recording for the show. Most of us found out by watching the news, reading the newspaper, family members, heck, Anna-Marie, you gals know her as Hello Nurse, found out the news by her make-up artist. In my case, I found out the news from a friend, Penelope."

"Wow! That was really cold what the producers did to you guys." Alex said sympathically.

"It was." Rita said.

The three felines sat in silence for a while.

Alex was the first one to say something.

"So, I'm guessing that after the show got the ax, you and your co-workers went separate ways."

"Yes, most of us did." Rita said while standing up and going towards the window. "My husband is suppose to be here any minute now from work. You gals don't mind the slight interruption do you?"

"No, we don't mind."

"Great."

Rita paused. She looked at Alex and Kitty.

"I have been so busy preoccupied that I didn't have the chance for the both of you to introduce yourselves."

"I'm Alexandra, but I usually go by Alex." Alex said energetically as she holds out her paw towards Rita.

"Nice to you meet you, Alex." Rita shooked hands with Alex. "You know, you kinda remind me of myself."

"I do?" Alex pretended to be shocked.

"And I'm Katherine. I usually go by Kitty." Kitty said ecstatically as she held out her paw towards Rita.

"Nice to meet you, Kitty." Rita shooked hands with Kitty. "The name Kitty doesn't fit you. You don't mind if I call you something more mature like, uh, _Kate_."

"Sure, I don't mind." Kitty was somewhat caught off guard by Rita's statement. She never really thought about her nickname that much.

The three cats were suddenly startled when they heard what sounded like a key going thru the key hole.

When the door finally opened, Alex and Kitty were even more surprised, even shocked, when Rita introduced her husband to them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Alex, Kate, this is my husband."

Turns out that Rita's partner on the show, Runt, was now her husband.

"Hello ladies." Runt smiled as he shooked Alex and Kitty's paws. Alex and Kitty could both tell that Rita and Runt were snickering behind their smiles. They were still laughing about the young felines' reactions to them being married.

The two young felines were still sitting on the black lounge near the love seat. After shaking the cats' paws, Runt seated himself on a chair that faced them. Rita was still standing near the door.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Alex quipped, "I guess opposites really attract."

There was truth in Alex's statement. Rita and Runt were really opposites, in both appearances and in some areas of their personalities. Rita was a cat, while Runt was a mutt. Rita was petite and small, while Runt was tall and big, even huge! It was even comical seeing Runt sitting on a chair that was supposed to be fitted for Rita's size.

Seeing this, Alex remarked while trying not to laugh in a British accent, "Seeing how big you are, my dear sir, I'm surprised that the chair didn't break!" Alex was good with accents.

"I know. I guess it's just one of life's little mysteries, eh?" Runt replied backed playfully in a fake British accent.

Everybody laughed. Runt did have a great sense of humor.

Alex also noticed that Runt was wearing a black suit with a blue tie. She couldn't help but asked, "Are you a CEO of some company or something?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. A CEO of a factory company to be exact."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Really? No offense, but I thought you were, uh, not very intelligent."

This made Runt laughed even more. "That's was part of the act, Alex."

"Oh. I learn something new every day then."

Rita now went to seat on the lounge with the two felines. "So, I'm guessing you gals are still in high school, right?" she asked.

Alex and Kitty both shooked their heads. Kitty said, "We're college students, Ms.-"

"You can call me Rita."

"You can call me Runt." Runt added.

"Okay, Rita and Runt." Kitty said while giggling a little.

"So what are your majors?" Rita asked.

"Mines is Criminal Justice." Alex said with confidence. She couldn't help but notice that both Rita and Runt were grimacing a little.

Seeing this, she added, "It's not like I'm going to join the cops. What I meant to say was I'm really interested in forensics."

"Oh. It's not that we hate cops, I sure there a few good cops out there. But, from our experience, they can be pretty corrupt." Runt said. Getting tired of the chair, he stands up from the chair and moves to the love seat.

"That's okay. My dad had the same reaction when he found out that I wanted to major in Criminal Justice." Alex said while checking the time on her IPod Touch.

"The forensics will be a really good field for you." Rita said while standing up and moving to the love seat to join Runt. I can tell that you are a very analytical cat, like your father."

Alex was taken back in surprise with Rita's comment.

"You know my father, George Mendoza?"

"Yes I do. I also know Kate's father, too."

"Benjamin Swan?" Kitty asked in surprise.

"Yep."

"If you knew our fathers, how come you didn't tell us at first?" Alex wondered.

"When, you cats were outside, I can tell there was some familiarity in you cats, but I wasn't so sure. Now that I was able to get a good look at you gals and getting to know you," Rita said as she was making eye contact with the cats. "I can tell you look actually like your fathers."

"And have some of the same personality's traits too!" Runt added.

All of a sudden, Alex had an intest urge to smoke a cigarette. She began to stand up and toke her purse.

"Can you excuse me for a sec," Alex said as she was headed to the door, "I need to smoke."

"To smoke?" Runt asked curiously.

"I mean to smoke a cigarette. Not that other stuff."

"You know that smoking is bad for-"

"For me. Yes, I know. But I'm trying to quit though." The door was closed behind her.

"I hate to see a talented voice going down the drain to soon." Rita said seriously after Alex left. "If see keeps that smoking up, in 20 years or so, she's going to have a raspy voice, just like George."

"Yeah, I warn her about that a couple of times." Kitty said seriously. "But Alex is pretty strong-willed and stubborn."

Runt took off his suit jacket and laid it on the arm of the love seat. He then put his long, strong arm around Rita's shoulders.

"So, Kate, what is your major?" Runt asked.

"Nursing."

"Ah, nursing! That sounds like an interesting and self-fulling field. Do you know what type of nurse you want to be yet?"

"I still pretty undecided," Kitty admitted honestly. "But I did have a couple in mind that interest me. Pediatrics, Labor and Delivery, Surgical nursing. I even thought about being a nurse practitioner."

"I'm sure you'll be an excellent nurse," Runt said while taking a sip of water that Rita had gave him. "In fact, Rita's a surgical nurse."

"Rita's a nurse?" Kitty asked in surprise. "I didn't know that. I thought you were still an actress and singer."

"Well, I had other plans and a sudden change of heart." Rita said eagerly. "By the time we finished with the movie, I knew that the TV and music industry was not for me."

"What makes you say that?"

"I just had a feeling that the music industry was going downhill. When they offered me to sign for their CEO one time, I turned it down."

"I'm definitely, definitely, glad that she did. Almost twelve years later, look at the music industry now!" Runt added.

Runt was right. The music industry was a complete joke. The business folks didn't give a crap about talent. All they cared about was the dollar bills and looks.

By this time, Alex was back from her smoking session. Because of her incredible hearing, Alex heard most of the conversation.

After she sat down, Alex asked, "Rita, how did you and Runt met and eventually fall in love with each other?"

"To be honest, it wasn't easy at first." Rita said leading back on the love seat. "It all started about two years before the show made its first premiere."


	5. Chapter 5

_First Note: I don't own the Looney Tunes. The Looney Tunes actually belongs to the Warner Brothers._

_Second Note: I don't own the song "Galbi". Instead, that song belongs to Ofra Haza._

_Third Note: I don't on the Secret Language of Birthdays. That credit should belong to Gary Goldschneider._

**Chapter 5**

_Flashback: October 31, 1991_

"Rita, are you sure about that costume? It seems to be very revealing."

"Relax, Penny. Is not like they never saw a female feline's physical assets before."

Rita was dressed as the ill-fated Queen Marie-Antoinette of France. She was wearing a white wig from the Queen's period. She was also wearing more make-up than usual. Had on purple eye shadow, some mascara, red lipstick, and some blush with a black dot near the right side of her mouth.

Penelope, on the other hand, was dressed as an angel with a halo headband on her head. Unlike Rita, she had on some makeup. Just red lip gloss and blush. Nothing real fancy.

Rita and Penelope were on their way to Sylvester's Halloween Party. They also heard word that Sylvester has a special annomuncent to make at the party. Sure, there were a bunch of Halloween parties that night, but this one was different. What made it different was that only cats were invited to Sylvester's party. No dogs, no birds, no chickens, etc. Just cats.

After they listen to some couple of songs on the radio, Penelope started to feel uncomfortable. It was because of the wings she was wearing. Trying not to distract Rita from her driving, Penelope asked, "Do you mind if I place my wings in the backseat. They are really starting to get on my nerves!"

"Sure. Go ahead."

Sighing with relief, Penelope took off her wings and placed them in the backseat.

After a couple of minutes of silence, without taking her eyes off the road, Rita asked, "Are you looking forward to his party?"

"Not really." Penelope said honestly.

"Why not?"

"Because every time he sees me, he tries to make advances at me. And I'm not interested."

"I thought he's with Sylvia."

"He is, but I don't know. Something tells me that he is fooling around behind her back. Plus, I think he has anger and alcohol problems."

"How can you tell that?"

Penelope shrugged. "I really don't know. It's just something about Sylvester's vibe I don't like." Since she was more at ease, Penelope leaned back in the passenger's seat.

Rita thought for a second. "I heard that he's going to some anger management classes."

"Yeah, but I don't think that's gonna help him."

Before Rita could say something, one of Rita's favorite songs starts playing on the radio. She eventually sings with the song:

"_You stole my heart  
>You stole my soul<br>You take my breath away  
>What can I do, What can I say<br>When You're so far away…"_

After the song was over, Penelope remarked, "You sound almost like her! But your pitch is a little tab lower."

"Thanks."

Penelope then noticed that Rita stopped her car. She also could hear some noisy cats outside.

"Wow! We are already here this quickly?" Penelope asked in surprise. "I thought we had another 20 minutes to go!"

"I guess we were lucky, since there weren't a lot of traffic on the road." Rita took off her seat belt and got out her purse. She got out her small mirror to re-adjust her looks, while Penelope waited patiently.

"So Penny, are you ready?" Rita asked after putting her small mirror away.

"Yes. I am starting to look forward to party. To meet new people and to dance."

"See! I knew you had the party cat spirit in ya!" Penelope got her wings from the backseat and putted them back on.

After that, Rita and Penelope both got out of the car and headed towards Sylvester's mansion.

…

Like the other mansions, Sylvester's mansion was big and had many rooms. In fact, his mansion was truly fit for a king. There was a medium-sized water fountain on the front young. Both Rita and Penelope were both amused when they saw what looked like two cats asleep in a drunken stupor near the water fountain. The other cats that were outside were either talking on the porch, dancing on the lawn, or were just walking around to get rid of the boredom.

Some of the cats outside knew Rita and Penelope, from their jobs of course. They waived when they saw the two female felines. Rita and Penelope waived back, smiling.

"Well look what we have here!" Claude said as he greeted Rita and Penelope when they made it to the inside of the mansion. He was dress as a vampire. "We were getting ready to give up on you gals arrival."

"We had a couple of minor adjustments to make," Rita admitted honestly. "But we are finally here!"

Penelope could not help but notice that Claude was looking, almost staring at, Rita's cleavage. She could also tell that Rita was somewhat enjoying the extra attention.

After laughing quietly to herself for a couple of minutes, Penelope cleared her throat so she could get both Rita's and Claude's attention.

Recovering his self, Claude lead the two cats to the one of the guest rooms. This particular guess room was the smallest and also the simplest of the seven guest rooms of the mansion. It just had a bed with blue sheets, a brown desk with a chair that was across from the bed, and a small dressing cabinet with a small black TV on top of it.

Both Rita and Penelope gave each other puzzled looks as they went into the room. Sensing this, Claude said, "I know the both of you are not spending the night here, but there is someone who is expecting the both of you."

"Who could that be?" Penelope asked with curiosity.

"Oh it is a surprise Penny!" Claude laughed as he was headed out to the door. "You might as well get corfmatble here. Now just sit tight." He closed the door behind him.

"I hope this is not one of Sylvester's stupid practical jokes." Rita said with a hint of annoyance as she and Penelope sat on the bed. "I had throw away my $400 black dress because of that damn trick of his!"

"Rita, you know that was two years ago, right?"

"Yeah I have since got over that, but still-"

They soon stopped talking when they heard the door opened.

…

When the door was closed behind the two mysterious cat strangers, Rita and Penelope couldn't help to look up at them with both suspicion and curisitoisty. They were both calico cats. Both females were not dressed for the party, but dress in black instead. By looking at them, both Rita and Penelope could tell that they had an age difference between them. The older cat look she was in her early 60s, while the younger cat looked like she was a few years older than Rita and Penelope. The older cat had some facial features that she had a hard life and seemed to have a nervous vibe. She also had a timid demeanor. The younger cat was the complete opposite. Even though there was some evidence that she had a hard life as well, there was an air of cheerfulness and calmness about here. They can even tell that she had a humorous spirit in her eye. The younger cat had a black spot on her right eye.

"Hello Miss Fredericks and Miss Moreau," the younger cat said gaily in a slight Greek accent. "There is something that we need to talk about."

Both Rita and Penelope were both completely off guard when she said their last names.

"How did you know are last names?" Rita asked. "Did that stupid ass Claude tell ya-"

"No he didn't, Miss Fredericks." The older cat said timiditly in a slight German accent with some annoyance on her face.

"Sorry about my language Miss-" Rita began.

"Call me Sophie, dear."

"Sorry about my language Sophie. I am trying to get rid of that habit."

"I can tell that you are. By both your spirit and your birthday profile."

_Birthday profile?_ Rita thought. "Um, Okay." She was somewhat confused by Sophie's statement. Penelope was just as confused as she was.

Sophie pulled out the chair that was in the desk and sat on it after she turned it around so she could face both Rita and Penelope. The younger cat went to sit between the two puzzled felines.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself!" The younger cat began while looking both at Rita and Penelope. "My name is Helene."

"Helene! That is a pretty name!" Penelope said while she was losing the puzzling look. "My great-great grandmother's name was Helene."

"Really?"

Sophie cleared her throat to get Helene's and Penelope's attention.

"Sorry about that Mama." Helene said.

"Sorry, Miss Sophie." Penelope said. "I can get carried away."

"I know, Miss Moreau."

After a couple minutes of silence, Rita asked politely, "Okay lady. What is up with our birthday profiles that may seem interesting to you?"

"Well," Sophie began. "I can already see that the both of you young felines have characteristics that match your birthdays."

"How do you know our birthdays?" Rita asked calmly. "Did Claude or even Sylvester-"

"They didn't tell us." Helene said truthfully. "Mama has psychic abilities."

"Psychics? I thought those folks are complete quacks!" Rita said trying to hide her defensive side.

"Only the ones who ask for money." Sophie said with confidence. "Now which of you dear want to go first?"

"I go!" Penelope said exacilty. Rita just sat back on the wall and cross her arms.

"Okay," Sophie closed her eyes for a minute. "Your birthday is in February."

"Yes."

"February 28th to be exact." Sophie re-opened her eyes.

"Yes." Penelope was trying to hide her skeptic. Rita was now suddenly interested.

"It's the day of zest. Your strengths of your personality are being vibrant, alive, and emotionally complex. Your weaknesses are overenthusiastic, excessive, and thoughtless."

Penelope wided her eyes a little. "Some of those traits are true."

"There is more." Sophie looked straight at Penelope. Sophie gave Helene a look and Helene got her folder out and gave the birthday profile to Penelope. After reading the profile, Penelope was wide-eyed and a little shocked.

"I usually don't believe in these kinds of things, but this was the first profile that seems pretty accurate!" Penelope said.

Noticing Rita's glance, Sophie turned sideways to face Rita. "I sure that you want a try?"

"Sure." Rita said.

Sophie closed her eyes again "Your birthday is in August. August 17th to be exact." She re-opened her eyes. "It's the day of explosive power. Your strengths are being versatile, forceful, and earthy. Your weaknesses are being tempestuous, antagonistic, and aloof. I can tell you have a temper."

Rita tried to laugh it off. "I sure this is some kind of joke. It has to be nearly impossible that everyone who has this birthday can't have the same exact personality!"

"True. But I forgot to warn you felines. My profiles are not 100% true."

Helen gave Rita's profile to Rita. After Rita had finished reading it, she had a stunned look on her face. "This is pretty accurate! It's so accurate, that is scary!"

"Oh, and there is one more thing I want to tell you." Sophie said while looking at Rita. Rita now looked at Sophie.

"There will be an unlikely significant other in your life. That animal will teach to how to take it easy and how to enjoy life more."

"Thanks."

"Now we must be going." Sophie began to stand. Helene began to stand as well. "I cannot stand to bear that dreadful music any longer!"

The younger three felines gave each other laughing glances. The music that they were playing was one of does Miami Bass songs that had a typical dancy beat and a typical message, which the message would horrify the animals in Sophie's generation.

"Now you dears take good care of yourselves." Sophie said as she was opened the door. Helene was not to far back from her.

"Are we going to hear from you again?" Penelope asked.

"Maybe we will, may we won't." Sophie was soon out of sight. Helene smiled at Rita and Penelope before she closed the door.

"Do you believe in our profiles?" Penelope asked after Sophie and Helene left.

"No, I'm still not convinced. But I'm still going to keep my profile as an entertainment guide." Rita stood up show she could stretch her legs. "I wonder where does felines originally came from."

.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Nice story Rita," Alex said after Rita finished telling the flashback. "But I don't see how that connects with you and Runt!"

"I'm getting to that part." Rita said politely.

_Another Flashback: November 2, 1991_

"Okay Rita! You are on in five minutes!" Denise yelled out in a hurry and closed the door of Rita's dressing room. Denise was the stage manager of Roscoe's, a nightclub.

Rita groaned and sighed at the same time. This was just not one of her best nights. For some reason, she seemed distracted. She didn't know why see seem distracted, but it probably had do with thinking about Sophie's predictions and profiles two nights before.

Since she had a couple of minutes left, she decided to look at herself in the mirror. Rita had look at herself in the mirror lots of times, but she has never really examined herself intensely before.

What she saw in the mirror was a petite, gray feline who had the most sparkling green eyes. Turns out she was also wearing a dazzling dress with a few rhinestones that match her eye color. She was in the beginning of her prime, in her early 20s, and still had that innocent vibe. But Rita could also tell that her mirror reflection went through some hardships. Her face marks and her right ear were evidence of these hardships.

Before she could think about the past, Denise yelled out without opening her door, "It's show time Rita!"

"Okay! I'm comin!" Rita yelled back from the closed door.

Rita pushed those negative thoughts to the back of her mind. She didn't want to make the night any more worse.

…

"Great show Rita!" Robert said happily after the majority of people left. "This performance brought in more people than I thought! This will surely help boost our business!" Robert, a duck, was the owner and manager of Roscoe's. Roscoe's was a struggling nightclub that played blues, jazz, and some R&B. Most of the performances were played by lesser-known singers, including Rita.

"No problem! I would hate to see such a place with great history go down the drain." Rita said gratefully.

Rita was now sitting where the audience was sitting during her performance. She wanted to rest a couple of minutes before she had to walk to her apartment she shared with Penelope. This was one of the reasons Rita liked about Roscoe's. Her place was only about 20 minutes away from the nightclub.

After she gathered the remaining energy she had left, Rita went back to her dressing room to get her coat. She made sure that she got everything she needed. When she felt she had everything ready, Rita turned off the lights and closed the door. She didn't have to worry about locking the door since it was one of the janitor's jobs. Before she headed out the door, Rita went quickly to Robert's office to say good-bye.

When she got outside, Rita couldn't help but shiver a little, even though she was wearing a coat and some gloves. It was unusually cold that night. Already, Rita could tell that tiredness and cold weather don't mix. She nearly tripped on the last couple of stairs when she felt a hand hold her arm as to break her fall.

"Need a lift miss?" a male voice said gently.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks anyway-" Rita turned around and should not help but gasp a little.

The friendly stranger was from the canine species, but she couldn't tell what kind of dog he was. From the looks of it, he looked like a mutt. His physical appearance also stood out. He was tall and huge. He also looked like he was about the same age as Rita. Being the sixth sensor that she is, Rita could also tell that he had faced some hardships as well, but under that toughness, he had a friendly, even gentle vibe about him.

"Hey! I thought the canine and feline species hate each other!" Rita thought outloud.

The mutt laughed. "That's only in movies and TV."

He help Rita climbed down the last remaining steps. "Do you mind me helping you get to your destination? You look very exhustated."

"Thanks, but-" Rita lost her trained of thought. She was really tired. "Sure. But on one condition."

"What's that?"

"No holding hands!"

"We just met!" The mutt laughed again.

They were on the sidewalk walking. The mutt adjusted his black feodora hat before asking, "So where is your place?"

"Lake Hollow." Rita said indifferently.

"The Lake Hollow Apartments?" The mutt asked with curiosity.

"Yeah," Rita said with a little annoyance. "Why does that interested you? There is nothing interesting and special about that place!"

"I know. I live there too."

Rita stopped in her tracks. "Really? I haven't seen you a lot."

"Yeah, that because I usually work late."

"Oh." Rita resumed walking with the canine.

They walked in silence for a while. The mutt was the first one to speak.

"So, how long have you been singing?"

Rita was somewhat taken aback by his question. "How did ya know I sing?"

"Your performance at Roscoe's."

"You were there?" Rita asked politely.

"Yeah."

"I guess since I was a kitten."

"I really enjoy your singing. You have a pretty voice. It's a shame that the music industry hasn't found ya yet." The mutt said delightfully.

Rita forced a smile. "Thanks."

By this time, they were finally at their destination. Rita was finally relieved.

"We're here." The mutt said. "I guess I should be going." He turned to walk away.

"What is your name?" Rita asked without even trying to hide her curious side.

"The name's Runt. Your's?"

"Rita."

"Ah Rita! A pretty name, I think Rita means-" Runt stopped when he saw a hint of annoyance on Rita's face. "I guess I see you around then?"

"I guess." Rita said indifferently.

"Well, it was nice meeting you." Seconds later, Runt was out of view.

Rita couldn't help to be surprised at the fact of all the animals out here, a dog actually took her home. She hoped he wasn't one of those "special" dogs that most folks felt sorry for.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Note: **__ The song "Unifinished Sympathy" doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Massive Attack instead._

**Chapter 7**

_Flashback: November 7, 1991_

"Penny, where are we going again?" Rita asked with her eyes half-closed.

"To my parents' house." Penelope said without taking her eyes off the road.

"For some get together?"

"Yeah."

Penelope and Rita were on their way to visit Penelope's family. Rita couldn't really understand why her folks, meaning Penny's parents, choose another date. Probably when Thanksgiving and Christmas comes, the big cats (Penny's older siblings) won't able to make those times because of other commitments.

"Didn't you say there's like the twelve of you?" Rita asked referring to Penelope's siblings while changing the stations. Since they left the main city 40 minutes ago, they were not a lot of stations to choose from. The only stations now were only for country music, which Rita hated.

"No, There's nine of us. I'm the sixth of nine kittens." Penelope glanced at Rita for a second then went back watching the road. "I thought you knew!"

"I not good with my memory." Rita said while still looking for stations. "Even though I'm getting better at using it."

"Whatever, you say Rita." Penelope said indifferently.

"Hmm." Rita said. Suddenly, she became a bit annoyed with the twanging singing. "I can't listen to this crap anymore! Do you mind if I get a CD out?"

"No, I don't mind."

Rita turned off the radio and look to see if there were some CDs in the glove department. Fountarly, there were.

After she looked at the different CDs for a couple of minutes, Rita found one that caught her eye. After wiping it off with a face towel, she placed the CD into the CD player.

After a few minutes, Rita was chilling out while she noticed that Penelope was somewhat moving her head quietly to the beat.

"Good choice Rita!" Penelope said honestly. "I could really use a good chill out, stress-free song."

"Yeah, me too!" Rita admitted.

They now listen to the song in silence:

"_I know that I've been mad in love before  
>And how it could be with you<br>Really hurt me baby, really cut me baby  
>How can you have a day without a night<br>You're the book that I have opened  
>And now I've got to know much more…"<em>

…

"Rita!" Penelope said loudly as she shook Rita.

"What!" Rita said like if she was in a daze.

"We're here!"

"At ya folks place?"

"Yeah!" Penelope said hurrily, "Now get up! My parents and siblings are expecting us any minute now!"

"Okay! I'm up!"

Both Rita and Penelope got out of Penelope's car and headed to the house.

By looking at the house, Rita could already tell that Penelope came from a well-to-do affluent family. That was another difference between the two felines. One was up on the social ladder, the other, not so much.

As they were getting closer to the house, Rita and Penelope both noticed that there were a couple of kittens playing on the front pouch. One of them, a cute 4 year old orange tabby, noticed the two older felines. She placed her toys down and ran towards them.

"Aunt Penny! Aunt Penny!"

"Hello Tori!" Penelope hugged the kitten while Rita looked on.

All of a sudden, the other kittens saw who their playmate was hugging in they all got up and went to hug their Aunt Penny.

Rita could see that Penelope was a bit overwhelmed with getting the attention she got.

After Penelope hugged her last relative, Rita couldn't help but ask, "My God lady! How many nieces and nephews do you got?"

"Sixteen." Penelope said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But there may be more."

One of the kittens, an 8 year old gray tabby, noticed Rita. Without hiding her curiosity, the kitten asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm your aunt's friend, Miss Fredericks." Rita said gently. She didn't think that the girl would know what a roommate was. "What's yours?"

"Elizabeth." The kitten said shyly but with a hint of confidence. "But everyone calls me Ella."

"Nice to meet you Ella." Rita smiled gently. Elizabeth smiled back.

Rita and Penelope were just in time to look up to see the front door to open.

"Lunch is ready kitties!" Called out a female voice.

All of the kittens hurried to the door while some were making noises on the way.

"No running!" A female black and white cat suddenly appeared. She looked similar to Penelope, but the different coat colors set them apart. It wasn't until all of the kittens went in that she finally noticed the two older cats.

"Penny! It's so good to see you." She walked on the grass to hug Penelope.

"It's so good to see you two Alicia."

Penelope and Alicia stopped hugging and Alicia noticed Rita standing.

"You must be Rita." Alicia held out her paw. "I'm one of her sisters."

"I am. Pleasure to meet you." Rita said as she shooked Alicia's paw.

Alicia thought of something. Then she said, "You felines might be hungry already with the long distance you both have to travel."

"We are!" Both Rita and Penelope said in unison. They didn't even realize how hungry they were until Alicia said something.

"So what are you felines waiting for? Let's go in!"

Rita and Penelope followed Alicia as she led them inside the house.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Man, Penelope has a huge family!" Alex said after hearing Rita's story about Penelope's family.

"There were actually nine of them?" Kitty asked in a soft tone.

"Yep."

"There is probably no way that you met all of those felines." Alex said doubtfully.

"No, I actually did meet all of Penny's siblings." Rita said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Really?" Alex and Kitty both asked in unison.

"Yes. Turns out they were having a family get together or something."

"Do you still contact them?" Kitty asked while standing up to stretch her legs.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Rita said while standing up. "A few of them actually sent me holiday and birthday cars. Even one of the brothers, Anthony, asked me to sing at his wedding reception."

"Turns out Rita was born to be an entertainer." Runt said proudly.

"I see." Alex said while Kitty sat down. "So how were her folks?"

"Folks?"

"I mean Penny's parents." Alex corrected.

"Oh, them. They were, and still are, pretty interesting characters." Rita could not help but laugh a little. "Now I can see where Penny got her height from. Her mother, Mrs. Victoria Monreau, is short! In fact, nearly everyone is short in her family except for Penny's father and her two brothers, Anthony and Lionel. Another brother, Andrew, was average height."

Rita stopped for a second to drink her milk.

"Now as I was saying, Victoria (Penny's mom), was somewhat of a prude. She gets offended when the main theme of the discussion is sex or the cat anatomy."

"The cat anatomy?" Kitty asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes, the cat anatomy. Especially the female cat anatomy. One day, Alicia was talking about one of her nursing school experiences when out of no where Victoria comes up to us and says do not discuss that talk in this household. And it wasn't lady-like."

"Sheesh, she was really a prude!"

"Oh and it gets better!" Rita smirked. "Alicia and Valerie (another of Penny's sisters) told me the story about how Eddie's, Penny's eldest brother, special adventure at Las Vegas with some of his college buddies a few years back. To make the long story short, Eddie slept with some exotic dancer for a couple of nights until his folks found out. When they found out, Victoria and Albert were pissed, especially Victoria."

"Okay, why were they so pissed off about that?" Alex asked.

"Because he lied to them and said that he was going to visit New Mexico for a school project. And she also said the chances of Eddie finding a wife were now slim." Rita chuckled.

"What's wrong with that?"

"That's what I'm saying! She's an old-fashioned prude. Albert, the father, is somewhat of a nerdy prude. He's really not very comfortable speaking about the reproductive processes even though he is interested in life sciences ironically."

"That's odd." Alex said while looking at her phone to check the time. "I'm sure they thought you were, uh, "different" to say the least."

"Yes. At first, they, especially Victoria, didn't like me because they thought I was one of those "loose" felines. But once they got to know me, I found out that they had a change of heart."

"That's good." Kitty said cheerfully.

"Even though Albert and Victoria Monreau had a tendency to be prudish and even hypocritical at times, they had good hearts. Victoria cared about all animals, not just the felines. She also cared about the well-being of all animals and every socioeconomic status."

"So she despised specism." Kitty said.

"Aboustly! Albert cared about all poor and working class animals getting a good education. In fact, he visited a couple of schools to see what the kiddos were actually learning."

"Do you have a picture of Penny's family?" Alex asked curiously.

"As a matter of fact I do!" Rita exclaimed. She stood up and went to her and Runt's bedroom to find the picture.

A couple of minutes later, Rita came back with the picture.

"Well felines." Rita said as sat between Alex and Kitty on the lounge chair. "This is Penny's siblings with Penny herself."

While Alex and Kitty were examining the picture, Rita added, "That picture was taking about twenty –five years ago."

"They look so alike!" Kitty exclaimed after looking at the picture. "It's like they're different age twins!"

"Yeah." Alex added. "And why do the two older male felines look like they are on catnip or something." She couldn't help but snicker at her statement a little.

"Alex, that's mean!" Kitty scolded gently.

"It's alright. That was the same reaction I had when Penny showed me that picture. According to her, it was hot that day."

"That would make more scence." Alex felt another urge to smoke again. "I need to have a smoke again." She got up from the lounge chair in went outside to smoke her cigarette.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"_I really need to stop smoking_." Alex thought to herself as she was taking another puff from her cigarette. She also thought she heard a door slamming and hearing a male feline voice swearing and hissing at the same time. However, it didn't seem to affect Alex one bit. She just kept on smoking.

She was taking a second puff when Alex heard a familiar feline voice saying,

"Alex!"

Like the first time, she ignored the voice and kept on smoking.

"Alexandra! You have a lot of explaining to do!" said the male feline voice irritability and annoyed.

This time, Alex looked up to see where the voice was coming from.

It was her father and Kitty's father walking up towards the house. Even though he was still a little ways off, Alex could sense her father's anger. She also noticed that he also have been smoking because he had a cigarette between his left paw.

"Oh crap!" Alex thought. "I'm busted now!"

Alex was getting ready to turn back towards the house, but George stopped her.

"Where do you think you going?" George demanded calmly and looked straight at Alex. "You know this is not your house!"

"Uh, I know Dad." Alex hesitated. "We, I mean, Kitty and me, were getting help."

"And what the hell happened to the damn car!" George said annoyed and losing his calmness. Like Alex, George had a tendency of using foul language from time to time.

"Well, uh." Alex said nervously while trying to keep here paws from shaking by holding them. She had a habit of shaking her paws almost uncontrollably when nervous. "Kitty and I were just chilling in the car listening to music-"

"Answer my question young lady!"

"George!" Benny began. "Can't you see the cat's is nervous-"

"Shut up Benny!" George hissed. He paused for a moment to smoke his cigarette. Like his daughter, George always have to have is cigarette. Alex could tell that Benny was trying hard not to laugh at loud.

After he was finished doing his business, George turned back to Alex.

"It's not what you think Dad." Alex said more confidently. While George was smoking his cigarette, Alex gained back her composure. "We were just driving the car when the car suddenly died."

"Died? What do you mean it died?" George asked. He had cooled down a bit.

"It just did. Plus, the car was old anyway."

"See, I told you George! We should have taken the care in to get it fix." Benny said seriously.

"You know they will not want that piece of crap, Benny!"

"Uh, ya never know George. Someone might actually like the car-" Benny paused in thought. "That's if the car had gotten fixed up."

The three cats stood still as they heard the front door open.

"Alex, what's taking so long with that smoking-"

Rita paused when she saw George and Benny. Kitty, who was standing by Rita, was just as shocked as Rita.

"Uh, hi Dad." Kitty said a little nervously.

"Hi, Kate." Benny said without a hint of anger and annoyance in his voice.

Kitty sighed quietly with relief. That was one of the many things that both Kitty and Alex liked about Benny. Unlike George, Benny was pretty mellow most of the time, even in serious situations.

"Um, hello Mr. Mendoza." Kitty said gently.

"Hello, Katherine." George said calmly. He and Benny then turned to Rita, who was standing still quietly. "No time, no see Rita!"

"The same to you George!" Rita said back.

"You look lovely in blue Rita!" Benny said.

"Thanks, Ben."

"So, uh…" George began while checking his claws. "I see you have been entertaining our girls."

"Yes. I have." Rita said. "And you have some very charming daughters."

"Thanks." Benny and George said at unison.

After a few seconds of silence, Rita asked gently, "Do you guys want any milk?"

"Nope. I'm good." George said. "But thanks anyway."

"I do, Rita." Benny said. "I haven't had milk since this morning."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go in." Rita went inside while George and Benny followed.

Alex and Kitty gave each other glances since they knew that their dads were going to get the biggest surprise of their lifetime.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Flashback: November 21, 1991_

"Did Val like the birthday gift I sent her?"

"Yes, she did."

Rita and Penelope were now just relaxing in their simple, but comfy apartment after having a long day at work. They were actually supposed to have the day off, but both felines were called in at the last minute because the manager needed extra help.

Despite the fact that the felines had a long day, it wasn't too bad. The customers were considerate and polite. The co-workers were also considerate and polite. Even the elderly janitor, who was usually in a grumpy mood, appeared to be in a sunny moon on this particular day.

Rita and Penelope were in their living room playing cards when Rita asked, "What time is it?"

Penelope glanced over to the clock. "It's a quarter to midnight."

"Time past that quickly?"

"We worked today, remember?"

"Oh, that's right." Rita yawned. "I must be really tired."

"You look and sound like it." Penelope agreed.

Rita stood up from the couch where she and Penelope were sitting and said, "I'm going to bed early tonight. I want to stay up longer, but it just seems like sleep wants me to surrender to it."

Penelope rubbed her eyes. "I'm not far behind you. I'm going to bed too. Good night."

"Good night." Rita said tiredly as she walked backed to her room.

Having her own room was one of the many things Rita enjoyed about this apartment. She even had her own bathroom. Sure, it cost money, but to both Rita and Penelope, it was worth the cost.

Rita had just turned off the lights and was lying in her bed when she thought she heard some grunting and moaning noises coming from next door.

Rita just assumed that her mind was playing tricks on her. She was tired after all.

However, the noises kept on going. This time they sounded louder and more intense. Rita thought she heard a female feline moaning.

"Damn kids!" Rita muttered under her breath. "Can't they see a chick has to go to work in the morning?"

But the noises still kept on going. The female feline was moaning even louder than the last time saying, "Oh George! Gimme ya best shot! Oh!"

Before Rita could react, the male feline said in a husky voice, but was loud enough for her to hear said, "Sexy Mitzi!" He grunted for a minute. "You drive me wild baby! You have the sexiest eyes!"

"You have the sexiest voice!" the female gasped. "Oh!"

Rita was trying real hard not to burst out laughing.

The female feline's moaning was getting louder and louder by the minute.

"Oh, George! I feel this…uh…" She hesitated. "This strange feeling, but I don't want to wake the neighbors-"

"The hell with them! The louder, the better your royal highness." He said in a seductive tone.

"The hell?" Rita thought to herself.

"Oh! Oh! AAAAAAAAAAH!" the female moaned very loudly. There was some painting afterwards.

By now, Rita couldn't hold her laugher any longer. She bursts out laughing.

"Hey! Who's that laughing!" the male voice said while catching his breath. "I come over there and kick your-"

"Sweetie!" the female voice began in a seductive tone. "Don't worry about it. Let me put your worries away."

After a couple of minutes, the noises stopped.

"Looks like somebody is going to get some great sleep tonight." Rita thought as she closed her eyes. She also couldn't help at the fact that the voices sounded eerily familiar.

_The Next Morning_

"I'll be in the lobby waiting." Rita called out as she closed the door to their apartment.

"Okay, I'll be there in about 10 minutes or less." Penelope called out from the apartment.

Rita was on her way to the stairs when she heard someone calling out, "Wait!"

Rita turned around to see who said it.

It was a female feline who was dressed in business attire with a lab coat. She was also wearing glasses. She was also the same height as Rita, but an inch or two shorter. There was also a youthful and familiar vibe about her.

Rita could also tell that she had a rough night just by looking at her facial expression.

"Thank you so much," the feline said as she was close where Rita was standing. "I'm already running behind sechulde."

"No problem."

When they were finally at the lobby, Rita couldn't help but asked, "Aren't you Miriam, George Mendoza's wife?"

The cat was taken somewhat aback. "Yes I am. And you are-"

"Rita Fredericks."

"Oh Rita!" Miriam hugged Rita. "It's so glad to see you. I didn't know you lived here."

"I do. I been living here for about six months." Rita thought for a moment. "I thought you and George had a house."

"We do, but there was something wrong with the A/C unit. They just use to move here until things get settled."

"Oh, that sucks."

"Yeah, but I guess we have to go with flow."

Rita was a secretary for both George and Benny when she was working for the studio about two years. She knew George and Benny personally and also knew both of their wives.

Miriam and Rita were just standing around talking when out of the blue, George appears and .puts his arms around Miriam's waist unaware that Rita was nearby.

"George!" Miriam exclaimed. "You startled me!"

"Of course I did Mitzi!" George said huskily while his arms were around Miriam's waist. "Maybe if we didn't have to go to work so soon, we could do this." He begins kissing Miriam's neck.

Some folks were now staring at them. Even though Rita could tell Miriam enjoyed it, Miriam got back to her senses and gently pulled away from George's embrace.

"Not now honey! But we can later."

George suddenly notices that Rita is snickering.

"Hey lady! What the hell-" George then recognizes her. "Rita?"

"Hello Mr. Mendoza." Rita said formally in a comic tone.

"You live here too?"

"Yeah. For six months now."

George looks at his watch. "I guess me and Miriam should be going. I talk to you some other day." He leaves.

"It was nice seeing you." Miriam said following George.

When Penelope finally came to the lobby, Rita exclaimed, "I finally know who the culprits who were behind last night's activities."


End file.
